Monthly jam session fills acoustic folk music void

''It is a hoot,'' she said of the free event, which features different local performers the second Monday of the month from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Normaltown Cafe, 1354 Prince Ave. ''It is the best kept secret in Athens.''

The Hoot

"The best-kept

secret in Athens"

When: 8-10 p.m.,

second Monday of the month

Where: The Normaltown Cafe, 1354 Prince Ave.

Cost: free

The Hoot, which features mostly country, folk and bluegrass music, began during the late 1980s and was originally intended to bring like-minded local musicians together to play and become better acquainted. Maggie Hunter, former Hoot organizer, or ''Hoot Mistress'' as she says, is now a member of The Warblers and Staley's band The Solstice Sisters, and she remembers when The Hoot was located at Sparky's Restaurant where the Classic Center now stands.

''I organized the event for three or four years about 15 years ago,'' Hunter said. ''The performers used to play for pitchers of beer because The Hoot has always been free-of-charge, so the performers never got paid. They still don't.''

Hunter's statement raises the question: Why have some of Athens best musicians, including Mike Mantione and Dan Horowitz of Five-Eight and Vic and the Vixens, featuring an early Vic Chesnutt, taken the stage for no reimbursement?

''Because they love their music, and the people who play now, same thing,'' said Hunter.

Hunter, who met her Warblers bandmates at an early Hoot, is a regular performer at the current incarnation of the jam session. The modern Hoot has, in the past year alone, featured names like Dave Marr of the townie-country Star Room Boys, bluegrass master Art Rosenbaum and the well-known Athens musician George Norman and his band Horsefeathers. Held inside the Normaltown Cafe during the winter months, The Hoot will once again move back outside to the Harris Street Loco's restaurant courtyard in May.

''Or whenever it warms up again,'' said Staley.

Future performers scheduled to play upcoming Hoots include Don Chambers, J.J. Renault and Vic Varney, to name but a few. Staley, a fine guitarist and singer in her own right, always opens and emcees the show, favoring the audience with acoustic variations on Bob Dylan and Don McLean covers as well as some of her own original compositions. The Hoot atmosphere is always family-friendly. In fact, the crowd usually ranges from the very young getting their first taste of good live music up through the senior citizens tapping their feet and smiling in remembrance of days gone by.

''The Hoot is very cool for people who have kids,'' Staley noted. ''It is an early show that isn't held in a bar. I had held a Kids Hoot, that I plan on bringing back, that featured all kid performers. No one over 16 played.''

While Staley, who has organized The Hoot through the Athens Folk Music and Dance Society for the past two years, thinks The Hoot is still a well-kept secret, Maggie Hunter believes it is gaining popularity for several different reasons.

''It is in very capable hands,'' she said of her friend Susan's handling of the show. ''She is just devoted to bringing good music to people for absolutely nothing. She does a fantastic job booking and seeking out acts to play. I am so glad to see it having a resurgence. If it continues this way, it could be a radio show or something.''

According to Hunter, The Hoot, which has always been somewhat nomadic, is still searching for a venue all its own. Agreeing that the Locos courtyard is a beautiful arena with the gently sloping, grassy lawn and stage framed by the ancient University of Georgia scoreboard, she worries about inclement weather and hopes that Normaltown Cafe will be large enough if attendance keeps growing.

''It is definitely in search of its own place,'' Hunter said. ''Under Susan's care, it will find it I'm sure.''

For now, Staley is pleased with how the show is progressing and how the audience continues to support local folk music, even with the concerns that come hand-in-hand with popularity.

''It is really nice to see over 100 people crammed into Normaltown Cafe on a Monday night,'' she said, espousing her belief that The Hoot is the best way to see live music in this town. ''It is a listening show and the audience respects that. You can come out early, bring the kids, have a little dinner and listen to really good music,'' said Staley. ''Is there anything better than that?''